I’m blue dabade dabadie…

Yeipers, gotta mix up my act here a bit. However, I couldn’t help it today because I’ve finally gotten to the bottom of something that has been bugging me for a bit. Why do some older folks have a blue or whitish ring around their eye? Like so:

Well, turns out it is a condition called Arcus Senilis which is a white, gray, or blue opaque ring in the periphery of the cornea (sometimes a white ring in from of the periphery of the iris). It is common in the elderly and can appear earlier in life as a result of hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol). I can be a sign of disturbance in lipid metabolism, an indicator of conditions such as hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipoproteimernia, or hyperlipidemia. Be cautious if it is just on one side as it can be a sign of decreased blood flow to the unaffected eye due to carotid artery disease or ocular hypotony.